The
Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre outline practical solutions to support
the theatre industry
A warning has been issued by UK Theatre on behalf of all its members, including the Newcastle
Theatre Royal.
The current situation has had a devastating impact on the theatre
sector. Theatres employ over 290,000 people in the UK and currently over 70% of
those jobs are at risk and many theatres are facing a perilous future.
Currently we have no audience and no income. We need help to sustain our
workforce, support theatre recovery and safeguard the industry for the future.
Many organisations, including Theatre Royal, will struggle to survive, even
with measures to support their workforce.
SOLT and UK Theatre compiled evidence from across the
sector on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the theatre industry and
submitted a paper to DCMS laying out what the sector needs to survive. Coinciding with the first meeting of the
newly created Entertainment and Events Working Group, the submission details
the investment that the theatre industry
needs to sustain our workforce, encourage growth and recovery and safeguard our
sector. Theatre and the performing
arts play a huge role in enriching our national identity, our economy and our
local communities.
More people see a theatre show each year than
attend all League football matches in the whole of the UK.
In 2018, venues represented by The Society of London Theatre
and UK Theatre generated ticket revenue of £1.28 billion, employing 290,000
workers. Over 70% of those jobs are now at risk.
Amidst warnings from venues that 70% of theatres will run
out of cash by the end of the year, this paper presents the urgent measures
needed to restart the performing arts sector. It calls for moves to: Sustain the workforce, through the
continuation and development of the Job Retention Scheme and a new package to
support the army of freelancers and self-employed artists who create so much of
our work.
Support theatre recovery, through adaptations to the
existing theatre production tax relief scheme, support for businesses that
supply theatres, and aid with making venues Covid-19 secure. Safeguard the future of the theatre
industry, through an Emergency Relief Fund and the creation of a new Cultural
Investment Participation Scheme for the sector from government: a national
pledge for culture.
Theatre generates £133m in VAT payments for HM Treasury in
London alone. We want the government to invest in our sector so we can continue
to play our vital role in Britain’s future success and help the UK’s recovery.
SOLT and UK Theatre look forward to continuing to work with
the government and to providing more detailed evidence to the DCMS to move
forward in strategic measures to support British theatre and allow it to
re-open successfully.
The suggested solutions in more detail
1. Sustain
our workforce
·
Extend the job retention scheme to October for
the theatre industry fully funded by the government, as theatre organisations
cannot afford to contribute with zero income for months.
·
Identify a unified scheme to support
freelancers, many of whom have been unable to claim through the current
Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and have been relying on theatrical
charities for emergency relief.
2. Support
theatre recovery
·
Temporarily extend Theatre Tax Relief, which
already encourages investment in theatre productions, and could help recovery.
·
Mitigate risk in terms of insurance and
liability - only 12% of surveyed organisations believe they will be able to get
the insurance they need to re-open.
·
Support the thousands of small companies that
supply and depend on theatre, from set and costume makers to workshops to
casting directors as well as technological suppliers.
·
Help fund theatres in creating Covid-19 secure
venues, which will require investing in health and safety precautions like PPE,
toilet facility changes and increased costs of working.
3. Safeguard
the industry for the future
·
Many organisations will struggle to survive,
even with measures to support their workforce. Urgent needs might be addressed
by some of the following:
·
An Emergency Rescue Fund that works across the
whole sector.
·
Cultural Investment Participation Scheme (CIPS)
- many charities are unable to take out loans and existing loan structures are
more broadly not fit for our sector; this alternative scheme would allow both
charitable and commercial organisations to re-establish and enable the government
to invest and be part of the sector’s future success.
·
Assist local authorities who support local
theatre, as any reduction in leisure budgets will lead to more pressure on
regional theatres.
Industry Facts & Figures
· The combined box office income of Society of
London Theatre and UK Theatre’s membership was more than £1.28 billion across
London and the rest of the UK, with 34 million tickets sold in 2018.
·
Tourism and the night-time economy:
·
Around 37,000 people see a show in the West End
every night
·
Overseas visitors make up nearly ¼ of audience
members.
·
Loss to HMT of VAT payments (over £130mn for
West End theatres alone) plus enormous economic impact on all related
hospitality and related businesses – multiplier estimated at 5-6 times in major
cities – if theatres are forced to shut down permanently.
·
London accounts for 47% of all theatre
performances in the UK and 43% of theatre venues across England[1]
·
The UK’s theatre industry plays a key economic,
social and place-making role. Theatre and the performing arts make a powerful
contribution to our society and to our national identity. They make areas
richer culturally and financially, and they make places more attractive to live
and work. Much innovation takes place in the regions, for example HOME in
Manchester was the first arts organisation (and therefore theatre) in the world
to have 100% of staff trained in climate literacy.
·
Theatre is a major UK export internationally
(productions, staffing and licensing) and contributes to the UK’s soft power;
from The Ferryman on Broadway, to English Touring Theatre’s Othello at the
Dubai Opera House, to the Curve theatre Leicester’s production of Grease in
Dubai, are just a few examples.
·
Our talent creates some of the most recognisable
and bankable international hits in film and TV, but all the initial support
happens in theatre, for instance Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Fleabag or Peter
Morgan and The Crown.
·
SOLT and UK Theatre work with theatres on how
to best fulfill requirements for patrons with access needs, as well as
encouraging access to theatre for young and diverse theatre goers. We also
support theatre workforces through training and career development, including
addressing skills shortages, entry routes, in career training and inclusivity.
